Personality Political Leadership And Decision Making

This psychological study dissects the characteristics of 20 world leaders-both men and women-profiling the factors that formed their personalities and revealing how certain traits have shaped their political decisions. * Includes a comparison of leaders across types * Sheds light on how different personality styles affect leaders' decisions * Analyzes 20 different well-known leaders from across five continents * Traces regimes along a continuum, discussing the interaction between specific leaders when applicable * Delves into the early childhood experiences and adult events that shaped the personalities of key leaders

Political and societal elites are increasingly confronted with complex environments in which they need to take collective decisions. Decision-makers are faced with policy issues situated at different intertwined levels which need to be negotiated with different actors. The negotiation and decision-making processes raise issues of legitimacy, leadership and communication. Modern societal systems are not only affected by horizontal specialization and diversity but also by a vertical expansion of governance layers. The national level is no longer the sole, or even the most important, level of governance. In these complex environments, cognitive abilities and personalities of political and societal elites have gained importance. This book addresses the impact of an increasingly complex environment on the legitimacy and transparency of polities, on the role of leadership and political personality and on motivated images, rhetoric and communication. Examining how these issues interact at the macro and theoretical level, the types of problems decision-makers face and how they communicate ideas with their audiences, it brings together leading experts in political psychology, law and political science to bridge the gap in the way these disciplines explore the issue of complex decision-making.

10 The Ukrainian crisis revisited: response to Richard Herrmann -- 11 Politics, it has never been so simple: complex versus simplistic rhetoric and the use of hyperbole in political decision-making in the Netherlands -- 12 The challenge of complex decision-making: concluding chapter and discussion -- Index

Valenty, Feldman, and their contributors challenge the current state of political leadership studies by offering a variety of analytical methods from scholars around the world. While focused on American political leadership, the different approaches and vantage points offer fresh insights of the roles of cultural and political context, including the historical circumstance, environmental factors, and socialization agents that affect and shape American political leadership and performance. The highly unusual and valuable approach includes multidisciplinary perspectives with contributors from the fields of political science, political psychology, philosophy, sociology, and economics. Scholars, students, and researchers from a variety of disciplines will find the evaluations of the interaction between personality, leadership, decision making, and context invaluable.

This psychological study dissects the characteristics of 20 world leaders—both men and women—profiling the factors that formed their personalities and revealing how certain traits have shaped their political decisions. Many wonder what it takes to be a leader. Is it a natural or learned set of skills? This book examines the personalities of a selected group of political leaders, analyzes the forces that formed their nature—most notably their leadership tendencies—and then demonstrates how character has shaped important political decisions made during their regime. The authors profile 20 different leaders from across five continents, deriving shared personality traits and defining specific leadership styles based on characteristics and circumstances. The work begins by introducing the field of political psychology and explaining the theoretical framework used in studying the leadership personalities covered in the book. An analysis of leadership across the world considers several types of regimes: authoritarian leaders in non-democratic and democratic societies, authoritarian mixed types, flexible and pragmatic types, and those who combine flexibility with delegation. The text concludes by comparing leaders across time and location, discussing interaction between specific heads of state. Leaders profiled include Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Saddam Hussein, Václav Havel, Angela Merkel, and Emperor Hirohito, among others.

Feldman, Valenty, and their contributors present state-of-the-art evaluations of linkages between personality, motivation, decision making, leadership style, and behavior among political leaders across divergent cultures. Leading scholars in the field examine the application of theoretical approaches and research methods used to evaluate these important relationships. They effectively illustrate the concomitant role of cultural and political context, historical circumstance, environmental factors, and socialization agents affecting political leadership and performance. Contributors evaluate methods currently in use by scholars in political science, psychology, political psychology, social psychology, and history, including psychodiagnostic and psychobiographical approaches, and the application of these methods in profiling the personalities of political leaders. Each chapter presents a unique case study evaluating a political leader or leaders including such major figures as Mao Zedong, Tony Blair, Seyyed Mohammed Khatami, Helmut Kohl, and Stalin, Yeltsin, and Putin.

Personality in Politics by Thomas, David: Examine the role of personality in the realm of politics with "Personality in Politics" by David Thomas. This insightful work explores how individual personalities influence political leadership and decision-making. Key Aspects of the Book "Personality in Politics": Political Psychology: Thomas delves into the field of political psychology, examining how personality traits and characteristics impact political behavior. Case Studies: The book includes case studies of political leaders, offering real-world examples of the interplay between personality and politics. Political Decision-Making: "Personality in Politics" sheds light on how political decisions and policies are shaped by the personalities of leaders. David Thomas was a political scientist and author known for his research on political psychology and leadership. His book reflects his interest in understanding the psychological dimensions of politics.

In an age when world affairs are powerfully driven by personality, politics require an understanding of what motivates political leaders such as Hussein, Bush, Blair, and bin Laden. Through exacting case studies and the careful sifting of evidence, Jerrold Post and his team of contributors lay out an effective system of at-a-distance evaluation. Observations from political psychology, psycholinguistics and a range of other disciplines join forces to produce comprehensive political and psychological profiles, and a deeper understanding of the volatile influences of personality on global affairs. Even in this age of free-flowing global information, capital, and people, sovereign states and boundaries remain the hallmark of the international order -- a fact which is especially clear from the events of September 11th and the War on Terrorism. Jerrold M. Post, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry, Political Psychology, and International Affairs, and Director of the Political Psychology Program at George Washington University. He is the founder of the CIA's Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior.